Meet North Brooklyn Runners' Valentines

Is Cupid a Crownimal?

North Brooklyn Runners’ records don’t show that he’s laced up for all the runs to earn the distinction -- but we know he’s brought his bow to more than a couple runs. Maybe it was the sultry summer Sunday Funday runs that made folks catch feels - or perhaps the way a beau laced up their Brooks had them feeling the adrenaline. One thing is for sure - love is in the air at NBR.

So in honor of Valentine’s Day, we are highlighting some of the (MANY!) couples who met their long-term run buddies with NBR.❤️.

James Gray King and Natalie Gleed

James Gray-King and Natalie Gleed at the Staten Island Half

Natalie: Back in early 2017 I kept being told that there was another Brit in the club, some guy called James, but our paths never crossed. By the end of the year I was starting to feel more involved in the club, so after volunteering at the water table I wandered over to the post-marathon party where I ended up chatting to the elusive James, who was looking rather dapper in a stripy scarf.

I think we then bumped into each other at a WNRR and I got up the courage to try track again, with it being no coincidence that he was a run leader. Several drunken nights at the Nest later, it turned out we had a lot more in common than just running; a love of live music, live sports, cats and more than one occasion where we had been in the same place at the same time, but never met (we grew up less than 30 miles apart, but had to cross the pond to meet).

We’ve now been together 6 years and have run countless races together (several with James yelling at me to keep going!) We have a lot to thank NBR for, including our crowning achievement, winning the Mom & Dad award at the 2022 gala!

James: Nat covered this beautifully, on my end, I also kept being told about this other Brit… the other pre-dating meeting that stands out was Nat turning up to a ridiculous treadmill 18 miler I’d put together so I had company for some of it in shifts.

Nat stuck around after and was definitely on my radar. After some of those drunken Nest nights, very early into dating, we had a post TNT Spitzenhaus trip during which we devised a third or fourth date (it’s unclear) to Paris that weekend for the marathon. Clearly NBR became a great environment to meet someone at the same level of crazy.

Funny that we had to cross the Atlantic and join a random, wonderful running club to find each other.

Liz and Aaron at the 2023 Boston Marathon expo

Aaron Pinzon and Liz Shea

Liz: My first memory of Aaron was when he completed the Crownimal in March of 2022. They posted a photo of him on the ‘Gram and I thought to myself, “who's this weirdo with the hair?”

Sometime after that I was at a club points brunch at Randolph's (RIP). I was slightly tipsy and talking shit like I do when all of a sudden the "weirdo with the hair" decided to inject himself into the convo I was having. Normally I would have been annoyed but something about him made it okay with me and that was the start of our friendship. He was cool and hysterical and put me at ease.

Once in a blue moon I'll meet a person and have this, for lack of a better term, "kismet" feeling. I had this with Aaron. It sounds cheesy but my gut told me, this person is going to be important in your life. Given our age gap I did not think romance or dating potential was there, so I assumed a close friendship.

This changed in June when I invited him to a concert I was going to. He was my third choice when my first two picks were unavailable and he said yes. The band was Sigur Ros and they are pretty niche so I almost felt bad for potentially putting him out. He may not have become a fan of the band that night but it was the start of the shift from friends to more.

A year and eight months later we are still going strong. We laugh, talk for hours on end, cook, travel, run together. He is one of the warmest people with the biggest hearts I've ever met and has given this very jaded person a faith in humanity that had almost been lost. I am so grateful to this community and the people it has led me to and for the opportunity to meet the person I can be completely myself with and who believes in me. 

Aaron: Hi NBR. This is how Liz and I met and this is what it's like dating a runner. Liz and I met because she is a track leader and I was a track regular. I always thought she was cute and was delighted when she invited me to a concert. Side bar: I was the THIRD choice. THIRD!

Since then, we’ve been dating, traveling, running and living life. Now for the tea, what’s it's like dating a runner. First, It's great. I not only have a romantic partner, but a training partner who knows my ridiculous running quirks. For example, I hate loops and I need to shower BEFORE I run. Sure, these things are stupid but she accepts them. Second, it’s hard because apartments are small, and I am pretty sure our laundry is a superfund site. It's humbling because she gives me perspective. PRS are great, but they don’t take out the trash or change Noodle’s litter. That cat is small but he poops so much!

Lastly, it’s amazing. She is the first person to push back on my self-doubt.  After so many triumphs, failures, and runs together she really gets me. She knows when my self-pity needs a comforting hand, and when that same hand needs to push me out of the door for a workout. 

Daniel Dryburgh and Shanna Heaney

Daniel and Shanna at the Holiday Handicap in December.

Shanna and Daniel, center

Daniel: 6 a.m. Barry’s sessions were always followed by at least a lap of the Central Park reservoir. While I wasn’t sure if we were into running, each other, or both I definitely caught a vibe!

Those early morning laps quickly turned into Shanna coaching me through my first ever half marathon in New York City 2019 which entailed a far too hot a start with me hanging on for dear life up the FDR. 

We jumped into NBR after moving to Williamsburg in 2021 and haven’t looked back since! Shanna holds it down as a TNT leader and I recently started leading up the Diversity Committee. Whether it’s laying down PRs, cheering for the squad, or breaking it down on the Gala dance floor NBR has always brought us great vibes. 

The places we’ve gone since - Charlie Horse Half in Pennsylvania where Shanna took third and I took a great photo of her with her horseshoe medal, taking her mom on the subway to catch Shanna sightings 5 (6?) times at Chicago in 2019, to last December’s CIM where she BQ’d and the Baja Boiz finished top 20 in the partner relay.  

NBR has undoubtedly brought us closer together as well as to the community and neighborhoods we run in